My Rebel X Rally / Desert bike build thread

[AtomicGeo]

As for your suspension settings, I think for the weight you said

 

So the rally kit still hasn't arrived but I've been busy with the bike today

In the week I had the bike at home and was tinkering with it in the garage. I tried to fit the Scotts but didn't have a 32mm spanner needed to undo the headstock bolt.

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It felt good to find my way around the bike and get my jobs list sorted in my head. Unfortunately the Owners Service Manual that has arrived is in Spanish. Very frustrating as it looks like a great complete document. Lots of exploded diagrams covering all parts of the bike with torque settings etc.

Today first thing I took the bike for a 1hour break in spin

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Once back at the yard it went into the workshop to get sorted.

First off it needed a good clean. The new bike grease on the chain had picked up a load of sand and then flung itself all round the front sprocket area. Grease and sand makes a brutal grinding paste so only very light lubes (WD40) will be used little and often in the future

Jobs that were done

Scotts installation completed. Because I've got it mounted under the bars (SUB ) I was concerned about the riding position but with the Low Rise Pro Taper Evo bars the riding position is more or less the same as stock. I spent a bit of time getting the bar position feeling good. The bars are rotated well forwards and I'm liking the feel of being forwards and space

IMS 11 litre tank installed. The 7.5 l stock tank is useless for the riding here. I don't think it makes sense for want I know a trail bike to be. The 11 litres will give me a maximum range of around 100km on the sand depending on conditions which gives me a margin of safety needed.

Getting the old tank off was easy apart from the hose clips on the FI pump. I think there must be a technique with these that I need to learn. It seemed very awkward

The tank fitted reasonably neatly although the front bracket seems a bit off. Once it tightened down everything was neat with no leaks or problems. I suspect I'm going to need to adjust the brackets to make the tank easy to pop in and off for maintainance. I don't want to be fighting it back on every time.

I've never messed with a fuel injected bike so it was a bit of a shock just how much "pump" was hiding up in the fuel tank. Removing it felt a bit like extracting the detonator from a bomb.

Side plastics needed trimming. This was easily done with a new blade in a Stanley knife. One of the fairing bolts was too far away from the original hole by about 10mm when it all went back together. It didn't seem important at all so just left it off rather than faff with spacers.

That 10mm does indicate that the bike is a bit fatter with the larger tank on.

There does seem to be a lot of electrics around the engine. I'm guessing most of it is sensors. Also up behind the light there is a big bundle. I'm really keen to simplify it but that may be one of those jobs that never reaches the top of the to do list

Stock long can was removed and FMF Powercore Hex installed in its place. Straight away I preferred the aesthetics of the shorter pipe. Also popped out the spark arrester. No need for those here!

Once the jobs were all done it was time to ride so I put an hour and a half on it with a solo blat out to cattle grid and back

Gawd damn it felt great!!!!!!!! Straight away I'm in love with this bike

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It's not really a fair comparison between the morning "running in" ride and this afternoons modded blat but here are my impressions

The bike feels nicely light and feisty. I haven't set the sag yet but the steering felt light in a nice way rather than a twitchy way. The frame feels narrow and compact like a bike that wants to be thrown around a bit.

One thing I'm surprised by is how high the seat is firm the floor. At standstill I'm at full stretch balanced on tip toes. James also commented on it. Riding while sitting down doesn't feel unnatural. Are the pegs higher off the floor? Is the sag set hard? I need to answer these questions.

The FI is snappy in a responsive but not overly aggressive way. After the carb of the gas gas I was worried initially in the ride that it was going to take some getting used to but this concern quickly went away and was replaced by a grin

The engine felt like it was breathing very comfortably and had plenty to give intuitively from the throttle. It will be interesting to play with a GYTR programmer but to be honest if I never do I won't be overly concerned at this point. It all felt nicely enthusiastic and powerful in a predictable and controlled way.

Ive read a lot and was expecting issues but today I had zero problems with starting it off the electric start. Push and go first time every time. Haven't tried kicking it yet

Heading down to the Liwa tomorrow for 5 to 6 days of riding and I'm really excited to be on this bike. It's going to be a hoot

It would better to have the rally kit on though

It's going to be interesting the difference with the rally kit. Apparently in the boxes the kit weighs about 30kg but it will be less on the bike as some bits are replicated including front tank, pipe and battery

Jobs list atm:

Set up sag for current set up and evaluated for spring rates. I might need to go up one as I'm 79kg naked

Install voyager computer. I'm interested to see what temperature it runs at if nothing else

Order speedo cable and magnet from trail tech

Remove oem speedo cable (spacers on their way). It's ugly!! Will look at replacing the right fork plastic with a yz version to get rid of the bulge and neaten things up

Source, order and install large adjustment knob on Scotts. Standard one doesn't work easily with (chopped) bar pad in place

Install Rekluse Core EXP 3.0 and LHRB kit

Fit braided brake hoses

Install rally kit when it arrives. I will do a detailed build post on this as I think there is some really interesting stuff particularly around the way the nav tower attaches into the headstock bearings. I have questions about how much space this will take up and how it will integrate with the steering damper. I'm also interested to see how the electrics for the nav tower will set up and the 2 tanks will plumb in and work together

On the lower priority jobs list is to replace the front headlight with a yz number plate. I don't need the light and would rather keep it boxed for when I come to sell the bike they just get tradhed in the sun here. The yz plate will be neater, lighter and more practical. I'm also keen to get all the plastics white as this will be much neater with graphics

So all the interesting stuff (rally kit) is still to come but for now it's about riding lots. In Liwa the dunes are some of the biggest and most impressive on the planet. I'll try and post some pics during the week

Ian

 

 

As for your suspension setting, I think for the weight you said you might be at where the spring rates may just be right.  Check here:

 

http://racetech.com/ProductSearch/1/Yamaha/WR450F/2014

Edited February 22, 2015 by AtomicGeo

[iggs]

As for your suspension settings, I think for the weight you said

As for your suspension setting, I think for the weight you said you might be at where the spring rates may just be right. Check here:

http://racetech.com/ProductSearch/1/Yamaha/WR450F/2014

I agree I'm pretty close at stock (.46kg/mm stock according to race tech) as they recommend .471kg/mm front and 5.458kg/mm rear (5.5 stock). Going to check sag in the morning

I had this email the other day regarding Rally bike spring rates

 

Hello Ian,

Interesting project, nice build bike / kit , I did not see it before.

It would wonder me when this bike would not come with stiffer fork and shock springs.

Based on my experience with Rally bikes , I would say that the front would require minimum 4.9 N/mm. springs

and that the shock absorber possibly needs a 61 N/mm. spring.

Best regards,

Appie Hens

KYB

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Technical Touch BVBA

Ondernemerstraat 20

3920 Lommel

Belgium

Tel. 00-32-11-54.96.96 – Fax 00-32-11-54.96.97

www.technical-touch.com E-mail : a.hens@technical-touch.com

I'm not sure on the calculation difference between kg/mm and N/mm

Edited February 25, 2015 by iggs

[iggs]

Just received spacers to enable removal of the stock ugly speedo cable. Won't need it on the rally bike or the enduro build either

Edited February 25, 2015 by iggs

[iggs]

So been busy today but not with the rally kit still

Installed the Rekluse Core EXP 3.0 this afternoon. The combination of instructions and video enabled me to complete it without any drama. My most significant spannering to date!

Then this evening I've been stripping away some stuff and adding a trail tech voyager

I've removed the following:

OEM computer, wheel sensor, kill switch (I only use the main switch anyway) and clutch reed switch

Installed:

flatlands racing wheel sensor replacement spacer and trail tech voyager

Mounting the voyager was a bit of a conundrum. I wanted it high enough so I could see it above the bar pad when sitting but protected by the front plate from stuff flicked up in front. This meant it needed mounting approx 5cm above the OEM plate. The trail tech plastic bar mount would put it in the right place but seems very weak and would interfere with the bar pad (which is already struggling with a dub mounted Scotts!!)

I have some other trail tech mounts but none of theme where fitting and I was really struggling to solve the problem until I had an idea

I love a solution that involves foam mats and zip ties

[patrick2wd]

I'm afraid to ask..

 

but, any news?

[iggs]

Racked up an average of +200km in the dunes a day over the past 2 weekends. I'm super happy with the bike and the way it's built up

2015 WR450F with GYTR ECU

11 litre IMS tank

FMF Powercore slip on

Scotts damper SUB mounted with low rise pro taper evos to keep bar position similar to stock

Foam grips

Rekluse Core EXP 3.0

Trail Tech Voyager

The WR450 with FMF pipe is a solid and bullet proof performer with way more to give that I could ever make use of.

The larger tank give me a range of around 100km in the dunes which allows me to make the distances between fuel stops of most the rides I'm keen to do.

The Scotts and Rekluse are there as skill compensators. They help prevent some mistakes and make the bike easier to ride in various conditions. This makes a big difference towards the end of long days.

The foam grips are proving a lot gentler on my hands than the Scott grips I had on my Gas Gas or the OEM grips that came on the WR. The OEM WR grips tore my hands to pieces during the 5 days in Liwa. After over 800km (4 x 200km days) on the foam grips my hands have virtually no soreness

The voyager works well enough as a navigation tool for most of my needs. It's advantages outweighs its shortcomings

Voyager pros: mounts out of the way so less likely to be damaged in a fall than other GPS devices. Runs off vehicle power eliminating battery issues. Very clear to read in bright daylight. Combination of GPS and bike sensors means one device does a lot making for much cleaner bar set up

Voyager con: only navigates one waypoint at a time with no function to navigate a route of waypoints

The bike will be converted to a rally bike next week. We have a solution to the DHL problem which basically involves someone flying to Italy for the day to pick some up.

Other jobs I'd like to do to the bike will wait until after the race and the bike is converted back

Graphics, stegs pegs, headlight blanking plate

The next post will be about the Rebel X build

Edited March 7, 2015 by iggs

[patrick2wd]

The next post will be about the Rebel X build

[iggs]

how long have you been waiting?

2+ months? or nearly..

 

man I'd expect you'd we happy as a baby when it finally arrives..

 

The problem is with DHL by all accounts.

 

This is the kind of stuff an expat gets used to dealing with. I've lived in a few interesting places including Kenya and its just par for the course :-/

[iggs]

Been fitting the Rebel X Rally kit the past 2 days. Very interesting. My first kit (obviously because it's my first rally DOH!!) so nothing much to compare it too

The most complex part is the nav tower. The MST tower the Rebel X kit uses has a significantly different way of mounting the bracket into the frame. It replaces the oem head stock bearing race cups (top and bottom) with 2 brackets that press in and these are joined by a forged piece

Knocking out the oem races and press fitting the new cups/with brackets was pretty straight forwards

Because the head stock is now longer there is a replacement head tube and a very expensive and bling/beefy looking CNC'd lower triple clamp

Switching the bearing from the oem triple clamp and head tube has been a pita! Yamaha didn't have any stock of lower head bearings so the original one had to be pulled off the stock tube and then put on the new CNC'd triple clamp head tube assembly

The kit comes with a new sealed bearing cap/washer and top nut. We used the Scotts castle nut that was already fitted to my bike because it's just a bit easier to work with

To install the Scotts we need to fab up a post to fit in the threaded hole included in the pressed in MST bracket. It's 52mm from the top of the MST bracket to the bottom of the Scotts damper arm. We have a reasonably neat and simple solution using a perfectly sized bolt in the parts bin. Getting that machined tomorrow

Switches and instruments have all been put in place ready for wiring in as have the various ariels needed. Sentinel and road horns are also on.

The F2R switch is lovely. The new F2R road book found in the parts bin won't fit on the tower so will get all the wiring adapted to the MIG road book that came with the kit

No pictures of the tanks yet I'm afraid

The oem pump installs in the left leg of the 18 litre Safari made front tank. There is a space next to it the oem low fuel warning sensor goes next to but this is actually replaced by a fuel in pipe. The front and rear tanks actually run connected with the rear gravity feeding into the front as its pulled by the front tank internally mounted fuel injection pump

All seems very simple and obvious with no complex fuelling systems to mess with. Should keep the bike reasonably balanced too

The front tank seems to fit quite neatly but the back one not so well. We are getting spacers made to fill the 6mm gap each side at the top (seat mounting) holes and 15mm each side at the lower holes.

Jobs list is still quite long. Brake light and pressure switches are needed. Hooking everything up to power. Connecting the fuel hoses. Mounting the odo sensor and magnet.

Bling rear shock with updated spring is on the back. Updated springs will go in the front.

Bike is scheduled for a quick test run on Thursday and a proper shake down run out on Saturday to see if I can rattle anything loose.

Great to have it all coming together finally!!

Big thanks to the guys at the Crazy Camel yard for letting me 'help' with the installation and put up with my constant numpty stupid questions. I'm happy to be able to know exactly how everything works and fits together.

[patrick2wd]

hehehehe....

 

 

finally,

looks great, looking forward to your experience,

what's the rear tank like... ??

seemed to me to be a bit dodgy..

[iggs]

hehehehe....

finally,

looks great, looking forward to your experience,

what's the rear tank like... ??

seemed to me to be a bit dodgy..

Rear tank is fine but not as good a fit as I'd have expected from Safari. Needs 2x5mm spacers on the top bolts and 2x15mm spacers on the bottom ones

It gravity feeds from 2 petcocks, one on each side joined by a t piece and then fed into a petcock on the front tank on the right wing next to the fuel injection pump. Means the tanks should stay pretty balanced front/rear without any faffing around

[iggs]

Build is finished

Shake down ride

[patrick2wd]

IMAGES!!!!!!!

[iggs]

[patrick2wd]

hehehe...

 

very tiny image..
but it seems to be in good surroundings....

[hedonist222]

You're on top of maliha mountain, right.

Aka fossil rock

Edited March 21, 2015 by hedonist222

[iggs]

Yes. Fast easy run up the pylon track to try and shake stuff loose

[zorroz]

Heres one of two desert bikes built in Australia for desert racing. 30+ litre tanks. I don't have any more details on the bike other than the editor for Trailzone magazine use to own the bike.

[patrick2wd]

any news..

hows the kit?

any thoughts you might want to share?

[patrick2wd]

any news..

hows the kit?

any thoughts you might want to share?

question mark...